accroissement

Accroissement is a French noun meaning the action of increasing or the increase itself; it is equivalent to growth or rise. It derives from the verb accroître, to increase, and is used across disciplines to denote an upward change in quantity, size, value, or degree. In common usage, it can refer to any process that leads to a larger amount or extent.

In demography, l'accroissement naturel denotes the natural increase of a population, calculated as births minus deaths. The overall population growth (accroissement démographique) combines natural increase with migratory gains or losses, often expressed as a net figure. In some contexts, the term is used alongside l'augmentation due to migration, also called le solde migratoire.

In economics and business, accroissement refers to growth or rise in indicators such as production, prices, or revenues. The rate of increase may be described as le taux d'accroissement or le taux de croissance, depending on context. The term is used in statistical reporting to signal a positive change over a defined period.

In mathematics, l'accroissement describes the increment of a function or quantity over an interval, for example f(b)−f(a). It is closely related to the notion of an increment or difference and is used in calculus and numerical analysis to describe changes in variables.

In other areas, l'accroissement may denote growth in biology, ecology, or statistics, referring generally to any measurable expansion. While often interchangeable with croissance, accroissement emphasizes the process of becoming larger rather than the end state.